Chris Gotterup finds he’s a hot golfer, whether in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Blaine

Is Chris Gotterup on a heater?

“I guess,” Gotterup said with a shrug Thursday.

He looked away, scratched behind his head. He fumbled for words. “Um.” “You know.”

Considering Gotterup’s recent run — including Thursday’s 8-under-par 63 at the 3M Open and a month that’s seen the 26-year-old jump 131 spots in the global rankings — the simple answer is: Yes.

Gotterup was one of 10 golfers Thursday to record a score lower than 65 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine — including a tournament-record 60 from Adam Svensson — with the help of soft greens from Wednesday’s rain.

Sam Stevens and Thorbjørn Olesen are tied for second at 62, and Gotterup is in a three-way tie for fourth with Chad Ramey and Matti Schmid.

The soft grass was an adjustment after Gotterup’s recent play overseas, but he said watching how his competitors attacked the course helped.

Gotterup, heater or not, will take any momentum he can get. He joked he got to sleep in Thursday — until 7 a.m. — after a dizzying trip that saw him outduel Rory McIlroy in the Scottish Open and finish third in the British Open right afterward.

Sam Stevens’ fan club greeted him backstage after he shot a 9-under 62 that’s two shots off Svensson’s lead: his four boys, ages 7 to 1 month.

“They’re a tough crowd to please,” Stevens said. “It’s good when they tell me ‘good playing.’ Made a lot of circles [birdies] out there today. They like it when I make circles. It was a fun round.”

Even if his children were nonplussed, Stevens impressed himself.

“My strength is normally to be pretty steady and pretty — just kind of plod along,” Stevens said. “So to have rounds like today is nice. … This is my lowest round ever on the PGA Tour. I’m very excited.”

“I need to win,” Homa said.

Why?

“My wife’s pregnant and I need to go home,” he said. “We have, like, two weeks left. It’s a little extra stressful.”

His second child is due the Monday after the Wyndham Championship, the next PGA Tour stop.

“Every day I finish a day of golf, I look at my phone and see if I’m flying home,” he said.

Homa admitted he hasn’t seen the complete version yet.

“I haven’t had a lot of time to watch a lot of TV,” Homa said. “I hear it’s good. … They put a lot of work into it.”

Kevin Kisner is back on the course after pulling double duty as a player and NBC’s lead analyst at the British Open.

“I try to use a player mentality when I’m in the booth. … I think that’s what people resonate with is somebody closer to the game,” Kisner said.

Kisner shot a 4-under 67 Thursday.

Several players, including Rickie Fowler, Akshay Bhatia and Kevin Roy, and their caddies are wearing black ribbons on their hats to honor equipment rep Cody Hale’s wife, Kayla, who died last week from cancer.

“Cody’s part of the family out here, and when you’re part of the family, their family’s part of the family, too,” Fowler said. “Can’t really imagine what they’re all going through. … Hopefully we’ll be able to see him back out here soon.”

North Oaks’ Frankie Capan III had a wrist injury and withdrew after shooting the highest round of the day, a 7-over 78. After starting his round with eight consecutive pars on the back nine, over his final 10 holes he shot four bogeys and a quadruple-bogey 8 on the second hole. His only birdie came on the par-5 sixth hole.

Two-time Minnesota State Amateur champion Tom Hoge, who missed the cut at the British Open, shot 74 and is tied for 145th, a stroke better than former Gophers golfer Erik van Rooyen.

Spring Lake Park graduate Troy Merritt shot 68 and Minnetonka graduate Carson Herron shot 72.